4. Chapter 4: What the Ashes Remember

Ren finds a journal hidden in the ruins — written in his own handwriting. In it, he reads about a mission to assassinate Malveth, and a woman he loved with terrifying devotion. The name is burned out of every page. But the descriptions match Eiris perfectly. Worse — the final entry reads: "If you are reading this, then it worked. You forgot her. Good. Now she is safe." Ren confronts Eiris. She admits: he chose to take the Scar himself. He was not a victim. He was the one who cursed himself — to protect her from Malveth's obsession.